The Ultimate Test
by TeenQueen661
Summary: Michelle's relationship with Eldon is put to the ultimate test when she finds out that he is a ballroom dance champion and that his partner is not only stunningly beautiful, but also a force to be reckoned with in the dance world. This revelation could end up changing their relationship for the better or for the worse. A fanfic centered around Michelle/Eldon. CHAPTER 5 POSTED!
1. Four Solos, Two Trios, and a Duet

The Ultimate Test

Summary: Michelle's relationship with Eldon is put to the ultimate test when she finds out that he is a ballroom dance champion and that his partner is not only stunningly beautiful, but also a force to be reckoned with in the dance world. This revelation could end up changing their relationship for the better or for the worse.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Next Step_, or its characters. I only own this story.

Chapter 1: Four Solos, Two Trios, and a Duet

* * *

It was a cool, autumn afternoon in Toronto and Kate, the owner of the Next Step dance studio, walked out of her office and headed into the A-Troupe's studio. As she did, she looked up from the clipboard in her hands and smiled when she saw all twelve A-Troupe dancers stretching and warming up for their daily practise. Despite the drama that had sparked up between them every now and then during the past few years, she could not ask for a better group of dancers to represent her studio.

In one corner of the studio, Eldon was in the midst of performing a set of consecutive pirouettes while Michelle, a mere few feet away, did a tilt to the left. Riley and James, who were doing splits on the floor, were engaged in a conversation with Giselle and Chloe, whom were doing crunches next to them. In another corner of the room, Hunter was competing in a push-up competition with Daniel and West. Stephanie and Tiffany, who returned to A-Troupe after the departure of Amanda and Thalia, were simply chatting. Emily, meanwhile, was practising her side aerials in an open area of her own.

"Alright, gather around everyone!" announced Kate. "We have work to do!"

Michelle waited for Eldon to finish his last pirouette before they both walked over to Kate. James got back to his feet and helped Riley up, and they followed Giselle and Chloe towards the group forming by the door. Stephanie, Tiffany, Daniel, Hunter, and West joined the group right after. Emily, who was lost in her own little world for a tad bit longer, was the last to make it over to Kate.

"Now, A-Troupe," said Kate once everyone regrouped, "as you all know, the Next Step's annual winter showcase is coming up in a few months."

"Oh, I love showcase nights!" exclaimed Emily as she clapped her hands gleefully. The Next Step studio put on two showcases per year (the other being in the summer) to give their dancers an opportunity to show off their talents to the public (and a prestigious dance school representative on occasion), and Emily loved any opportunity to be in the spotlight.

"What's the theme for the winter showcase this year, Miss Kate?" asked Michelle curiously.

"'From the Heart of a Dancer'," said Kate. "For this year's winter showcase, you will be using your routines to tell any stories you want."

"So what are the songs that we're going to be dancing to?" asked Riley.

"And what specific genres are we each dancing?" added James.

Kate smiled and said, "Both of those details will be up to each and every one of you once you find out who will be a soloist, who will perform duets, and who will showcase trios."

"When will we find out all that?" asked Giselle.

"Right now," said Kate. She looked at her clipboard and continued, "In addition to A-Troupe opening the winter showcase, four of you will be performing solos for this showcase. There will also be two trios and a duet."

All twelve dancers looked at Kate expectantly upon hearing that only one third of them would be performing solos during the winter showcase. Being offered a solo in a Next Step studio showcase was considered an extraordinary privilege. Although it brought extra pressure on the soloist, it was a great opportunity to be the center of everyone's attention.

"Michelle and Emily," said Kate, addressing the two girls standing side by side, "you two have done tremendous work as co-captains of A-Troupe this year and, for that, I'm rewarding each of you with a solo."

"Yes!" squealed Emily, who started clapping enthusiastically for herself. "I knew it!"

Michelle, unlike Emily, was surprised and thrilled to learn she would be a soloist during the winter showcase. She smiled and said to Kate, "Oh, gosh! Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome," said Kate warmly.

Eldon smiled, wrapped his arms around Michelle from behind, and hugged her tightly. He was very happy for her for getting the opportunity to perform a solo during the winter showcase. He could not be a prouder boyfriend if he tried.

Kate grinned when she saw the smile on Eldon's face and said to him, "Eldon, your duet with Michelle during Nationals was phenomenal. You dancing has been consistently phenomenal this past year, and what better way to show off your talents than with a solo routine?"

Upon hearing the good news, Eldon pulled back from Michelle and fist-pumped the air in happiness. Michelle laughed at his reaction and pulled him back into another celebratory hug.

"I hate to ruin the moment," said Kate, raising her voice slightly, "but I still have one more solo to give out."

Eldon and Michelle separated and, along with the other ten A-Troupe dancers, turned to look at Kate once more. Occasionally, several of the dancers would look around at each other and wonder who the last soloist for the winter showcase would be.

After what seemed like forever, Kate eyed one of the remaining nine dancers in particular and said, "Giselle, you were promoted back to A-Troupe for a reason. Take this solo and show the public what you can do."

Giselle looked as though the winter holiday break came early for her. She nearly choked in happiness, but managed to clear her throat and say, "Thank you very much!"

Riley and Chloe, who were happy for Giselle's big opportunity, reached over and sandwiched her in a group hug.

"Now, as you all know," said Kate as Riley and Chloe pulled back from Giselle, "Eldon and Michelle did a wonderful job with their duet at Nationals."

All of the Next Step dancers nodded in agreement, except for Emily, who rolled her eyes.

"However, they are not the only pair of dancers from this studio with chemistry between them," continued Kate. She turned to Riley and said, "Riley, you and James will bring your chemistry to the stage in the form of a duet."

James let out a whoop of excitement and, before Riley could blink, picked her up and spun her around. Riley, whose arms were wrapped securely around James, was thrilled and the large grin on her face showed it.

"That leaves the trios," said Kate, turning to face the six dancers who have yet to be assigned a performance for the winter showcase. "The only question that remains is...which trio can come up with a better routine?" She paused for dramatic effect, looked at Daniel, Hunter, and West, and said, "The boys?" She then turned to Stephanie, Chloe, and Tiffany, and continued, "Or the girls?"

Stephanie laughed and, with a daring look at Hunter, said, "I would say Chloe, Tiffany, and I have this trio in the bag."

"Oh, yeah?" said Hunter with a smirk. "Bring it on!"

"Hey, save it for the winter showcase," said Kate with a laugh. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Michelle raised her hand. "So, to clarify, we're allowed to pick whichever genre of dance we want to perform and which song to dance to?"

Kate nodded and said, "Yes, and you also have control over your costumes, your hair, your props if you're using any, and anything else you will need for your performances. You have complete control over creativity for this showcase and I can't wait to see what you all put together. Remember to pour your entire hearts into your dances."

"Can we get started?" asked Emily eagerly.

"Absolutely," said Kate. "Feel free to spend the rest of today and this weekend brainstorming some ideas for your routines. Next week, we'll start choreographing the opening number for the winter showcase. Oh, and be sure to let me know your song and dance genre choices two weeks before the showcase at the latest, so I can include the details in the program."

"Will do," said Michelle, speaking for the entire A-Troupe.

Kate smiled and said, "Well, I'll let you all get to work. I'll be in my office if anyone needs me."

The entire A-Troupe watched as Kate turned and headed out of the studio. Once she entered her office and shut the door behind her, Michelle turned to face the other eleven dancers and said, "Alright, everyone. The showcase is in a few months. Let's get to work."

The twelve dancers nodded before they all went separate ways. Hunter gestured for Daniel and West to follow him into a corner of the studio to start brainstorming ideas for their trio, while Stephanie, Chloe, and Tiffany did the same with their trio in their own little corner of the studio. Riley pulled James into another corner to start discussing what kind of duet would best highlight their chemistry as a couple and Emily, deep in her creative thoughts, started pacing in the middle of the studio. Giselle went to lean against a wall to gather and started organizing the ideas that were running through her mind.

Michelle and Eldon walked over to a bench against one of the walls and sat down on it, side by side. Michelle leaned her head against Eldon's right shoulder, while he draped his right arm around her.

"Congratulations on getting a solo," said Eldon, smiling down at her. "I'm proud of you."

"And I'm proud of you as well for getting a solo," replied Michelle, smiling back. "Do you have any idea on what to perform for the showcase yet?"

"Nah, I'm still trying to take it all in," said Eldon. "What about you? Got any ideas yet?"

Michelle shook her head and said, "No, I'm too excited to plan right now."

Eldon chuckled and said, "Well, we should get started on brainstorming at least. Just you wait, the few months will fly by and the winter showcase will be here, and Miss Kate will have a cow if we each don't have our solos prepared."

Michelle laughed and said, "Wouldn't want that happening now, would we?"

Eldon shook his head and answered, "Nope, it wouldn't be pretty at all." He paused briefly before he continued, "You know, getting solos for a Next Step showcase is a big deal. We should go out tonight and celebrate."

"I'd like that," said Michelle, interlocking the fingers of her right hand with his of the hand resting on her shoulder. "What do you want to do?"

"How about dinner?" suggested Eldon, "say…at our favourite little eatery in the heart of Chinatown?"

"It's a date," said Michelle, smiling brightly. "Shall we go after practise?"

"Yeah, sure," said Eldon with a smile.

Eldon was about to say something further when his cell phone vibrated from inside his short pocket. He pulled back from Michelle, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone to answer it. "Hello?" There was a short pause, and then Eldon continued, "Yeah, hold on one second." He turned to Michelle and said, "Excuse me for a minute."

Michelle nodded again as Eldon stood up and briskly walked across the studio and out the doors to take the call in the privacy of the hallway. Before she knew it, Riley and James had walked over to her. Riley sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Michelle, while James sat next to Michelle on the bench.

"Congrats on your solos," said Riley. "Your solo as well as Eldon's."

Michelle smiled and said, "Thanks." She looked from Riley to James as she spoke. "What about you two? Did you pitch any ideas for your duet yet?"

James shrugged and said, "Sort of. We're considering something contemporary."

"I'm sure it will be fantastic," said Michelle kindly. "It suits both of you as a dance partnership."

Riley smiled at Michelle and asked, "What about you and Eldon? Have you two decided what you both will be doing for solos?"

Michelle shook her head. "No, not yet; however, we did decide on is where we're going out for dinner tonight, which is how we're going to celebrate earning our solos."

Riley laughed and said, "Well, it's certainly something worth celebrating."

"Where are you guys going?" asked James curiously.

"There's this little eatery in Chinatown that we love," answered Michelle. She paused for a moment and then added, "Why don't you both join us? We can make it a double dinner date."

"Oh, that's nice of you, Michelle," replied Riley, "but James and I don't wish to intrude."

"I'm inviting you two, so you won't be intruding at all," said Michelle warmly. "I'm sure Eldon won't mind. The more the merrier."

Riley smiled and said, "Well, I'm all for it if James is."

James grinned and said, "Why not? We're going to have quite an appetite after dance practise anyway."

"True," said Riley. She turned to Michelle and said, "Count us in."

Michelle grinned. "Awesome!"

"What's awesome?" asked Eldon, having returned from taking his phone call in the hallway.

Michelle scooted over on the bench, so Eldon could sit down next to her. Once he did, Michelle explained, "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Riley and James to join us for dinner tonight."

"I don't mind at all," replied Eldon. He turned to smile at Riley and James and added, "It'll be fun for all four of us to hang out together."

"I can't wait!" exclaimed Riley excitedly.

Michelle turned to Eldon and asked, "Who was on the phone, Eldon?"

Eldon paused and said, "Oh, just a friend."

Michelle raised an eyebrow at him. "A friend?"

"Yeah," said Eldon. "Wanted to make sure our plans for the next few weeks didn't change." He stood up again and offered his hand to Michelle. "Want to start brainstorming some choreography ideas for our solos?"

"Um, okay," said Michelle, extending her arm and allowing Eldon to pull her onto her feet and lead her towards an open area of the studio.

Once they had plenty of room, Michelle backed up when Eldon started experimenting with a few dance moves that had come to his mind. As Michelle watched him, she thought about the phone call that he got from a friend of his and wondered why he did not going into any further detail than that when she asked. She shook her head, silently scolded herself for wanting to be all up in his business, and instead decided to focus on working out the details for her showcase solo.

* * *

Chapter 1 Up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

~TeenQueen661


	2. I Can Hear the Music

The Ultimate Test

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: I Can Hear the Music

* * *

Toronto's Chinatown was made up of many restaurants that served a variety of different Asian cuisine. The air was filled with a mixture of delicious aromas wafting out from the eateries on each street. Locals and tourists were walking up and down the streets, trying to decide where to grab a bite to eat and as they walked, and some swore that they could see a bakery on every street corner.

Eldon, Michelle, Riley, and James were among the people walking down the streets of Chinatown. They were chatting amicably with each other until they came to a halt outside of Eldon and Michelle's favourite eatery in the neighbourhood, a cozy little establishment that offered dim sum all day. Eldon opened the front door and gestured for Michelle to go first. Michelle entered the restaurant, with Riley and James right behind her.

"This place is nice," commented Riley as she admired the tranquility of the restaurant.

"Trust us, the food is even better," said Eldon from the back. He stepped forward and said to a waitress behind the podium, "Table for four please."

The hostess smiled and gestured for them to follow her. As they followed her, Riley and James looked around the restaurant. Couples and families seated at tables draped in red tablecloths, and being served mini dishes of food by passing waiters and waitresses. Lights above the tables and on the walls gave the entire restaurant a soft, warm glow.

The hostess stopped at a booth that was just a few feet away from the doors to the kitchen, but it also had a good view of the rest of the restaurant. Eldon allowed Michelle to slide into the booth first, before he took a seat next to her. Riley and James slid into the booth and sat so they faced Eldon and Michelle. The hostess placed a dinner card on their table and turned to usher a waitress over to bring them some tea.

The four dancers watched as the hostess left to return to her post behind the podium and a waitress hurried over to them with a hot pot of tea and four little cups. She placed the teapot in the middle of the table and a cup in front of each dancer. She told them to enjoy their meal and left.

"Tea anyone?" Michelle asked the group. The other three dancers nodded.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," said Riley as Michelle poured tea into her cup.

"Tell me about it," said James as he was served next. "I'm so hungry I could eat the whole restaurant."

Michelle laughed and turned to fill Eldon's cup. "Well, I hope Riley, Eldon, and I are off the menu."

James chuckled and said, "You know what I mean."

Just then, a waiter approached their table with about a dozen mini dishes of deep fried food. A third of them had four taro dumplings on each, another third of the plates each had four shrimp balls, and the last third had four shrimp dumplings on each plate.

Michelle smiled and turned to Riley and James. "Anything look good to you?"

Riley and James' eyes widened in disbelief; they could not believe the kind of food that was present in front of them at the moment. They could understand why Michelle and Eldon loved the restaurant so much.

The couple must have been speechless for some time because Eldon laughed at their facial expressions and said, "Guys, not to rush you or anything, but the waiter does have other tables to serve."

James snapped out of it and said, "Oh, sorry. Um, since Riley and I have never been to a place like this, we'll let you and Michelle call the shots."

Riley nodded in agreement. "Yeah, pick whatever you want. We trust your expertise."

Michelle smiled and said, "Alright, but if anything dish comes by that looks good to you and you want to try it, don't hesitate to speak up."

"Tell you what, I'll grab one of everything for you to try," said Eldon. He turned to the waiter and said, "One of each please."

The waiter nodded and placed one plate of each dish onto the table. He then pulled a pen out of his pocket, crossed off three squares in the medium dish section on the dinner card, and left to serve another table.

"Alright, before we dig in, I would like to propose a toast," said Michelle as she raised her cup of tea.

Eldon, Riley, and James all smiled and imitated Michelle's action with their own tea cups.

"Here's to a successful winter showcase," said Michelle, "and lifelong friendships."

There was a clink of china as the four dancers toasted to Michelle's proclamation.

* * *

Dinner was quite enjoyable for the four A-Troupe dancers as they got to satisfy the appetites that they worked up during dance practise earlier while, at the same time, reminisce about their past memories at the Next Step. It was a relaxing time for them as they were able to take a break from the dance world and just be regular teenagers.

As they passed around dishes of fried food, Michelle told the story of the wardrobe malfunction that she had during a solo at a previous competition. While James called for some steamed dishes to be brought to their table, Riley recalled the time she and James were caught making out in the costume department of the studio by Emily and could not face her sister for a week. Eldon's tale of him crashing into a rack of costumes as he attempted to break his record of consecutive pirouettes resulted in James nearly choking on a beef dumpling. Michelle and Emily sighed predictably after James finished narrating the story of how Daniel and Giselle became a couple after a slow dance at a showcase after party the year before.

During dessert, the conversation shifted to the upcoming winter showcase.

"So," said Riley as she reached for her bowl of mango pudding with cream, "have you and Eldon started putting together your solos yet?

"I haven't decided what to do yet for my solo," said Michelle. "I spent a lot of today's practise just dancing while trying to come up with some sort of story that I want to convey with my solo, but I have dancer's block."

"Don't worry, I'm sure something will come to you when you least expect it," said Riley reassuringly. She turned to Eldon. "What about you Eldon?"

"I decided to play to my strengths and do something contemporary," answered Eldon.

Riley nodded. "I figured judging by the type of choreography you were brainstorming earlier today."

"Have you chosen a song to dance to yet?" asked James.

Eldon paused for a moment before he replied, "I was thinking I could dance to a song by Bruno Mars or something."

Michelle smiled at him. "That's a wonderful idea! A lot of his songs can be used in a contemporary number."

Riley nodded in agreement. "Michelle's right. Plus, a lot of his songs revolve around love. Now that's a theme you can relate to."

"Exactly," said Eldon. He turned to Michelle and smiled lovingly at her. "In fact, I will dedicate my solo to the most beautiful, talented, inspiring dancer whom I could not help but kiss when she finally nailed a dozen consecutive pirouettes today during practise."

Michelle raised an eyebrow at him. "Was I talking to Miss Kate in her office when you did this?"

Eldon chuckled. "You know I'm talking about you right?"

Michelle nodded with a smile. "I know, and that's very sweet of you. I can't wait to see what you come up with."

Just then, a shrill ringing sound was heard.

Michelle, Riley, and James watched as Eldon pulled out his cell phone from his pants pocket to answer what was an incoming phone call.

"Hello?" said Eldon. There was a slight pause before he said, "Oh, hey." Another brief paused followed before he said, "No, just eating dinner with some dancers from the A-Troupe." There was another short period of silence, followed by, "No, you're not interrupting. What's up?"

Riley and James raised their eyebrows at Michelle, wondering who Eldon was talking to, but Michelle simply shrugged and shook her head at them.

"Sure, we can do that," said Eldon. There was another pause before he smiled and said, "No, it's no trouble at all. After all, things come up and you have to work around them." Pause. "Sure, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Is something wrong, Eldon?" asked Michelle, a look of concern evident on her face.

Eldon shoved his cell phone back into his pants pocket and said, "Oh, yeah, everything's fine." He rummaged another pocket for his wallet and added, "I'm just going to have to miss dessert tonight."

"Where are you off to?" asked Michelle curiously.

"I'm meeting up with a friend to work on a project," said Eldon as he pulled out his wallet. "We planned to meet up a little later, but something came up, so we're going to start earlier instead as to not lose an extra hour." He slid out of the booth and grabbed his jacket. "I'm really sorry that I have to leave early."

"It's alright," said Riley with a smile. "We understand."

Eldon smiled back, tossed a twenty dollar bill onto the table, and said, "This should cover mine and Michelle's half of the bill. " He leaned over and kissed Michelle on the cheek. "I'll call you later."

"Okay," replied Michelle. "Be safe out there."

"I will," said Eldon. With one final look at his girlfriend and friends, he turned and briskly walked towards the front of the restaurant.

"Is it just me or did it seem like Eldon was in a hurry?" Michelle asked Riley.

"Well, his plans for tonight had to be moved up due to some unexpected situation that came up, so of course he seemed like he was in a hurry," explained Riley.

"Yeah, well, he seems busier than usual and I'm worried that he's working too hard," said Michelle as she refilled her cup with tea. "Whatever he's working on, that is."

"Maybe you should talk to him about it," Riley suggested. "Let him know of your concern. Maybe there's something you can do to help him."

Michelle nodded slowly. "I suppose. I mean, I'll do anything I can to help him."

Riley smiled, picked up a nearby dish, and offered it to Michelle. "Custard bun?"

* * *

After enjoying a quick dessert and paying the bill, Michelle left the restaurant with Riley and James. By then, night had fallen and the street lamps lit up the streets of Chinatown. People were still out and about, but not as many as when they first arrived at the restaurant for dinner. The three dancers walked down the street they were on, laughing about a joke that James had told.

When they reached the intersection of two major streets, Michelle gave Riley and James each a hug goodbye and wished them a safe return home. After agreeing to meet up again the next morning at the Next Step studio for dance practise, Riley and James walked down the second street to catch their bus home. Michelle, whose neighbourhood was further away from Riley's and James's, continued down the street she was on to another bus stop further up ahead.

As Michelle arrived and took a seat at a bench provided to wait for her bus, she played Riley's advice in her head again. She was not sure what Eldon was occupied with, but she was willing to do anything to help him out if he needed assistance. She pulled out her phone, hit speed dial number one, and the speaker phone button. She placed her phone on the bench next to her and proceeded to lace up one of her shoes that was slowly coming undone.

After a few rings, someone picked up.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, it's me," said Michelle, smiling at the sound of Eldon's voice.

"_Michelle, hey!"_

Eldon's air of surprise was not missed by Michelle. "I just finished dinner with Riley and James, and was just calling to see how things are going with that project of yours. Working hard or hardly working?"

"_The latter, I assure you."_

Michelle smiled as she heard him chuckle on the phone. "Would you like me to stop by? I wouldn't mind lending you a helping hand."

"_Oh, that's nice of you, Michelle, but I can manage."_

Michelle frowned at Eldon's short, brief response. If she did not know any better, she thought he did not want her to come see him. The only question was why. "Are you sure? I don't have a problem coming over."

"_I'm sure, I mean, between my friend and I, we'll be able to get the project done in no time at all."_

Michelle raised an eyebrow after hearing Eldon's reply. Although he replied more confidently this time, the words he used, 'friend' and 'project', were very ambiguous terms. She did not know why Eldon would not mention the name of the person he was working with on the project that she was given very little detail about. Of course, she knew better than to badger him about both things as they were none of her business.

"_Listen, I have to get back to the project. Will you be at the studio tomorrow?"_

"Yeah, first thing in the morning," said Michelle. "Perhaps we could start working on our – ". The rest of Michelle's sentence was interrupted by the faint sound of violins and voices emitting from her cell phone. Voices as in more than one, and none of them sounded like Eldon's. In fact, a majority of them sounded like those of females.

"_Are you still there, Michelle?"_

Michelle realized how silent she was being as she listened to the noises coming from her phone and answered, "Yeah, I'm still here. Um – Eldon – is that classical music in the background?"

There was a moment of silence, followed by, _"Um, yeah, it is. I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"_

Before Michelle could answer him, a click was heard; Eldon had hung up on her.

Michelle picked up her phone and frowned at it in disbelief as if it had sprouted a pair of legs. Not only did it seem like Eldon was hiding something from her, but it also seemed like he was lying to her to cover up his whereabouts. Whoever his 'friend' was and whatever the 'project' was, Michelle did not think they were both worth lying to her. To add to her suspicions, she had heard female voices in the background during her call with Eldon. Last time she checked, Eldon did not mention anything about other people being part of the so-called 'project', and the fact that these people were girls certainly did nothing but fuel the jealousy within Michelle.

As a dancer and a girlfriend, Michelle knew better than anyone that it was important to trust her partner, both on the dance floor and in her personal life. Although she trusted Eldon more than anyone else in her life, she could not help but narrow her eyes the moment she heard the female voices in the background. As much as she wanted to believe that Eldon did have to work on a project with a friend, the evidence before her seemed to say otherwise.

The sound of a horn honking snapped Michelle out of her thoughts. She looked up and noticed that her bus had already pulled up to the curb and the bus driver was staring at her through the open door with a confused look on his face. After pulling her bus ticket out of her jeans pocket, Michelle slipped it into the appropriate slot at the front of the bus and proceeded to the back of the bus to grab a seat.

As the bus pulled away from the curb, Michelle stared out the window and yawned. Although she was determined to find out what Eldon was really up to, she decided it would be best to put it off until the next day when she was better rested and could think rationally about the situation.

* * *

Chapter 2 Up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

~TeenQueen661


	3. One Step at a Time

The Ultimate Test

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 3!

Chapter 3: One Step At a Time

* * *

The sun was shining brightly Saturday morning when Michelle exited her house and headed down the street in a blue sweatshirt, matching sweatpants, and a pair of white running shoes. She yawned as she tightened the elastic band on her messy blonde ponytail. It was pretty early for a Saturday to be up and about, but for a dancer like Michelle, time was very valuable and it would be terrible to waste, especially with the Next Step's winter showcase only a few months away.

After a short walk, Michelle reached an intersection where a coffee shop was located. Feeling her stomach rumble, she decided to grab a quick breakfast and beverage before she went to the Next Step studio.

The bell on the door rang as Michelle entered the small, but cozy coffee shop. Other than the staff behind the counter and the few people in line and in booths by the window, the shop was pretty empty. As she went to stand in line, a shrill ringing sound filled her ears. She yawned before she unzipped her duffel bag and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hello?" said Michelle as she answered the call.

"_Morning, Michelle!"_

Michelle smiled. "Good morning to you, too, Riley. What's up?"

"_Just calling to see if you were awake yet. James and I are on our way to the studio."_

"Yeah, so am I. I'm just about to grab a coffee and something to eat before I catch a bus." Michelle reached into her duffel bag again to search for her wallet. "You two want anything?"

"_Um…does that coffee shop happen to have good muffins?"_

"The best in town," said Michelle, reading the menu posted on the wall behind the counter. "You and James want anything in particular?"

"_Chocolate chip?"_

"Sure," said Michelle. "How about drinks? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate?"

"_Hot chocolate sounds really good."_

Michelle smiled again. "No problem. I'll take care of it."

"_Thanks, Michelle, you're the best…oh, our bus is coming! We'll see you at the studio soon."_

"Alright, see you soon," said Michelle. She then ended the call and slipped her phone into the pocket of her sweatshirt.

The man in front of Michelle accepted his coffee from the cashier and moved to find a table to sit at. The cashier gestured for Michelle to come forward and smiled kindly at her. "May I help you?"

Michelle stared at the menu. She knew she wanted her usual and she knew what to get Riley and James, but she also wanted to get something for Eldon and scanned the menu for something she knew he would like. However, thinking about what Eldon would like reminded her of the strange conversation she had with him the previous night. Was he hiding something from her? If so, what was he hiding from her? And why would he not tell her?

"Miss?" the cashier said hesitantly after Michelle did not say anything after a whole minute. "Are you alright?"

Michelle snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Oh, yeah, sorry. Um…may I have…um… two chocolate chip muffins…one blueberry muffin… one carrot muffin… three large hot chocolates…and a mocha latte…"

There was a long sequence of beeps as the cashier rapidly imputed every single item that Michelle requested into the cash register before she forgot something.

Michelle slid a twenty dollar bill across the counter to cover her purchases when her cell phone alerted her of an incoming text message. She pulled out her phone to discover a text from Eldon.

_Good morning beautiful! Waiting for you in Studio A! ;)_

Although Michelle smiled at Eldon's text message, her smile soon faded. As she began typing a reply that she would see him soon, her thoughts wandered back to his whereabouts after dinner the previous night.

* * *

The Next Step studio was pretty empty, mainly because it was early in the morning and not all dancers were morning people, especially on weekends. Other than a few A-Troupe members, the only other person in the studio at the time was Kate, who was occupied with the plans regarding the winter showcase.

The first thing Michelle did when she arrived at the studio was to say hi to Kate in her office. Afterwards, she slowly made her way to Studio A, so she did not spill any of the beverages nor drop any of the muffins. Upon approaching Studio A, Michelle heard voices and faint music coming from inside.

Eldon, who noticed that Michelle had arrived, hurried over immediately to greet her.

"Morning, Eldon," Michelle greeted with a smile.

"Morning," said Eldon with a smile of his own. He then took the tray of drinks from Michelle's hand. "Allow me."

"Thanks," said Michelle gratefully as she entered the studio. Upon her entry, the first thing she noticed upon her entry was the song that was playing, which just happened to be one of her favourite songs from one of her favourite films.

Eldon joined Michelle in watching Riley and James, who did not seem to notice that Michelle had arrived, dance what appeared to be a contemporary routine. As Riley and James danced, Eldon and Michelle were impressed with how technical the routine was at that point. Although they could see a few sections of the dance that could be cleaned up a bit, they were not too worried about it. After all, there were still a few months left to perfect it.

Soon enough, the song began to fade and Riley, who had her left leg around James's waist and the other supporting her on the ground, extended her arms out gracefully and allowed James to dip her as far as he could. Her head was only an inch from the ground when the song completely ended and the couple had frozen in place.

Michelle broke the silence and applauded with Eldon. "Bravo!"

Riley grinned as James pulled her back to her feet. The two of them turned and smiled at their fellow A-Troupe dancers.

"That was brilliant you two!" exclaimed Michelle.

Riley smiled. "Thank you so much. I know we only have the ending of the dance choreographed so far and we still have plenty to kinks to work out in that part alone – "

Eldon shook his head. "There's no need to explain. It's best to plan one step at time anyway. Besides, you have plenty of time to finish this routine. I'm happy that you two finally settled on a song."

"Yeah," said Michelle in agreement. "Tell you what, why don't we have a seat for breakfast and you two can tell me how you two decided on that song for your duet?"

Riley and James nodded and led Michelle and Eldon over to the wall where they placed their duffel bags. They took a seat against the wall, side by side, with Michelle and Eldon across from them. They smiled gratefully at Michelle when she handed them two large hot chocolates and chocolate chip muffins.

Michelle then turned to Eldon and said, "I got you a hot chocolate too and a blueberry muffin. I hope that's okay with you."

Eldon smiled. "It's more than okay with me. Thanks for thinking of me."

"It's my job," Michelle quipped as she slipped her hands into the bag, pulled out the remaining two muffins, and handed the blueberry one to Eldon.

"Thanks again for breakfast, Michelle," said Riley.

"Anytime," said Michelle. She took a sip of her mocha latte and said, "So, tell me. How did you two end up choosing my favourite song from the High School Musical 3 soundtrack as your duet song?"

Riley smiled. "Well, I got home from dinner last night to find some of my relatives over at my house. My younger cousins were watching _High School Musical 3_ and it was at the point of the film when Troy and Gabriella were discussing their future in the tree house. The minute I walked into the living room and heard that song, I knew James and I had to dance to it. It was a perfect song."

"She called me shortly after I got home and told me about the song," continued James. "Now, you know that contemporary is not my forte, but I know our chemistry can certainly make up for that."

"Absolutely," said Michelle with a nod of her head. "If you and Riley need any assistance, don't hesitate to come to us."

"Will do," replied James. He then turned to Eldon and asked, "Why don't you tell Michelle the song you chose for your solo?"

Michelle looked at Eldon with a look of surprise and excitement. "You chose one?"

Eldon nodded. "Last night. I'm dancing to Bruno Mars's 'It Will Rain'."

Michelle sighed happily. "You have no idea how much I love that song."

Eldon smiled at his girlfriend. "Well, the solo I'm dedicating to you might as well be to a song you like. Plus, I can dance contemporary to it, which we all know is my best dance."

Michelle smiled. "I still have dancer's block, but I can help you with your solo later on today if you would like."

Eldon nodded at her brilliant idea. "That would be terrific."

Michelle nodded as James shifted the conversation topic to that of the A-Troupe's opening number for the winter showcase and possible ideas for it. Michelle looked at Riley and James and realized that she would not be able to talk to Eldon about last night's phone call with them around. As she took a bite of her carrot muffin, she made a mental note to ask him about it later when they were alone.

* * *

Once breakfast was finished, Michelle and Eldon spent the rest of the morning helping Riley and James choreograph their duet. They managed to have a small portion of the beginning figured out when they decide to take a quick break for lunch. After finishing the hot dogs that they purchased from a cart just down the street from the studio, they went back to work and decided to turn their attention to Eldon's solo for the rest of the afternoon.

After a long day of pitching choreography ideas and dancing, the four A-Troupe dancers in Studio A decided to call it a day. Not wanting to part just yet, they agreed that heading down to Culture Shock to work on their homework and enjoy a light dinner sounded like a wonderful option. As they made their way down to their favourite hangout, Michelle called the staff ahead to place an order for a sandwich platter for them.

When the four dancers arrived at Culture Shock, they were not surprised to run into other members of the A-Troupe. Emily, who was sitting at a table with Hunter, waved at Riley, who then excused herself and walked over to say hi to her sister. James spotted West and Daniel having burgers in a booth by a window and also excused himself to go and talk to them for a bit. Michelle and Eldon, meanwhile, made their way over to an empty sofa and sat down next to each other.

"So, until the food arrives, what are you going to work on?" Eldon asked Michelle.

Michelle reached into her duffel bag and pulled out a paperback novel. "I think I'll catch up on my Shakespeare for English class."

Eldon looked at the cover of Michelle's novel. "You're reading _Hamlet_?"

"Yeah, it's getting pretty good," said Michelle. She looked up at Eldon and asked, "What is your English class reading?"

"_Twelfth Night_," said Eldon as he pulled out a notebook from his own duffel bag. "I have a test on the first half of the play's acts on Monday."

"My class already studied that play," said Michelle. "Would you like for me to quiz you?"

Eldon paused for a moment before he replied, "That would be great, but I don't want to interrupt your reading."

Michelle shook her head. "No worries. Tell you what, you start reviewing your notes and I'll read _Hamlet_. Every now and then, I'll shoot you a question on _Twelfth Night_. Sound good?"

Eldon nodded with a smile. "Sounds good to me."

Michelle smiled back before she opened her novel to the bookmarked page and proceeded to continue reading where she left off the night before. As she got to the part in the play where Hamlet was told to avenge his father's death, her mind drifted to Eldon and the conversation that they had the previous night over the phone. She wanted to ask Eldon about his late-night plans that night, but she could not do it with Riley and James around them all day. Since they were alone for the moment, Michelle figured this would be a good time to get answers from Eldon.

Looking up from her book, Michelle watched Eldon reading the notes he wrote in his notebook and muttering phrases under his breath in an attempt to remember important facts. She was about to reach out and nudge him slightly to get his attention when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Eldon!"

Michelle watched Eldon's eyes widen in horror for reasons unknown to her. She then looked to the person who called out his name and noticed two male teenagers around their age, one with short dirty blonde hair and the other with brown hair slicked back, walking up to them. She admired their casual attire of cardigans and dress shirts and how friendly they came across to be.

"Michael?" said Eldon with an air of surprise. "Alex? What brings you two to Culture Shock?"

"The food," said the teenager with the slicked-back hair. "You mentioned how great the food was here and Michael and I thought we would check it out."

Eldon nodded and bit his bottom lip, which did not go unnoticed by Michelle. If she did not know any better, it seemed like Eldon was nervous to be in the presence of whom she assumed to be friends of his. Why he seemed nervous though was the question.

The same teenager that replied, Michael, shifted his gaze to Michelle and smiled in her direction. "Well, we can see you are not here alone." When Michelle turned to look at him, Michael asked Eldon, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Eldon cleared his throat and said to Michelle, "Michelle, these are my friends, Michael Maslanka and Alex Bazarsky." He then turned to Michael and Alex and continued the introduction. "Guys, this is my girlfriend, Michelle Baldesarra."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," said Michelle kindly as she extended her arm out to shake their hands.

Instead of shaking Michelle's hand, Alex held her hand gently in his and brought it up to his lips to kiss it. "The pleasure is all ours, Michelle. Eldon has had nothing but wonderful things to say about you and your dancing."

Michael also kissed Michelle's hand and added, "He also said that you were beautiful and I see he was correct."

Michelle smiled. "Thank you." She paused and then asked, "So how do you two know Eldon?"

"We're dancers too," explained Alex. "We attend a different studio from yours though."

Michelle nodded and asked, "Do you two compete?"

"Oh, yes," said Michael. "We attend about a dozen competitions per year across Ontario, Canada, and even North America."

"Well, that certainly shows how you both come from a life that is dedicated to the dance world," said Michelle with a smile.

Alex smiled and said, "Well, compared to us, Eldon is a professional. The competition world knows his name by heart, but I'm sure you already know that."

Michelle laughed and said, "Oh, yes, I'm fully aware of Eldon's success at competitions." She turned to smile at her boyfriend, "And I'm very proud of him."

Eldon smiled back at her; however, the fact that he seemed worried was projected all over the rest of his face.

"Well, we just have to pick up a quick dinner and we'll be on our way," said Alex. He turned to Eldon and asked, "We'll see you tomorrow at the studio right?"

"Yes," said Eldon a bit too quickly. "See you both tomorrow."

Michael raised an eyebrow at how tense Eldon seemed, but he shrugged it off and said, "Anyway, we'll leave you two to enjoy your night." He turned to Michelle and added, "It was nice to meet you, Michelle."

"It was nice to meet you both as well," said Michelle kindly. "Have a good evening."

Alex and Michael nodded at Michelle with a smile before they proceeded to the main counter to order dinner.

Michelle turned to Eldon and smiled at him. "They seemed very nice."

Eldon nodded silently, the look on his face giving Michelle the impression that his mind was elsewhere.

Michelle gently rested her hand on Eldon's right one. "Are you okay, Eldon?"

Eldon nodded again, avoiding eye contact with Michelle. "Yeah, fine."

Michelle raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure? You didn't seem thrilled that Alex and Michael were here. Is everything alright between you and them?"

Eldon looked at Michelle and gave her a reassuring look. "Yeah, I just didn't expect to run into them here tonight, that's all."

"Well, you did say you were going to see them at their studio tomorrow, right?" asked Michelle.

"Yeah," said Eldon quickly. "We don't get to see each other too much, you know, with our busy schedules and all."

Michelle nodded, although a part of her suspected that Eldon was not telling her the whole truth. He looked quite uncomfortable to her, as though he desperately wanted her to change the conversation topic as quickly as possible. She rested her hand gently on his and squeezed it reassuringly. "Eldon, you know that you can tell me anything that's on your mind, right?"

Eldon smiled at Michelle and pulled her hand gently to his lips for a kiss. "I know. Don't worry about a thing Michelle. I'm fine. Really, I am."

Michelle nodded once more and decided not to pester him any further about what was really bothering him. If he was not ready to talk to her about something, she would respect that, but a growing part of her was still greatly concerned about him and she wished she knew what was really bothering him.

Just then, Riley and James came towards them with a large platter of sandwiches and a tray with bottled water.

Noticing the worried look Michelle was giving Eldon and the fact that neither of the two noticed that their food had arrived, Riley asked, "Everything okay you two?"

Before Michelle could answer, Eldon piped up, "Yeah, totally fine. Let's eat. I don't know about you two, but I'm starving."

Michelle could only stare at Eldon as he swiped a sandwich from the platter the minute Riley had put it down. She looked to Riley who raised an eyebrow at her as if to silently ask what was up with Eldon. Michelle could only shrug because, honestly, she had no idea.

* * *

Chapter 3 Up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

~TeenQueen661


	4. The Floor Is My Canvas

The Ultimate Test

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 4!

Chapter 4: The Floor Is My Canvas

* * *

With dancer's block for the winter showcase, school assignments, and Eldon's secrecy weighing heavily on Michelle's mind, it took her a while to realize that the weekend had flown by and that it was Monday.

Although she was not late, Michelle was the last to arrive at the Next Step studio after school. While a majority of the A-Troupe dancers were warming up inside Studio A, Michelle met up with Emily and Kate inside Kate's office to discuss their plans regarding the opening number for the winter showcase.

Kate could not help but smile and nod in approval as Emily and Michelle explained what they, as co-captains of A-Troupe, would be a foolproof plan in putting together the opening number. Sure, the two girls did not get along at first when Michelle joined the studio, but the A-Troupe started finding success at competitions and in the dance world the minute the two girls became co-captains and started working together.

After a final nod of approval by Kate, Emily and Michelle left her office and walked into Studio A. The minute they stepped into the studio, the other ten dancers of the A-Troupe stopped the stretches they were doing.

Emily cleared her throat and announced, "Alright, everyone, gather around! Michelle and I have a few announcements to make!"

The ten A-Troupe dancers that were called out to walked over to Michelle and Emily and stood in such a manner that they formed a small circle with their co-captains. It was at this point that they noticed the small pink envelopes in Emily's hands and the clipboard in Michelle's hands.

"Okay, first order of business today is your routines for the winter showcase," said Michelle as she quickly glanced at her clipboard and then looked back up to face everyone. "I hope you all are working on them. Remember to give your dance genres and song choices for your routines to Miss Kate at your earliest convenience to be included in the program."

Riley raised her hand to say something, but Michelle's smile silenced her in a respectful way.

"I already have yours and James's duet details written down already and I gave them to Miss Kate," said Michelle kindly.

Riley and James, who were standing next to each other, nodded in appreciation.

"Second order of business is something I will turn over to Emily," said Michelle. She turned to Emily and nodded at her.

Emily smiled and said to the group, "Riley and I are hosting a girl's slumber party this Saturday night at our place and I have your invitations in my hands. I really hope all you girls will be able to come. It's going to be absolutely amazing!"

Eldon, James, Daniel, Hunter, and West watched in silence as Emily stepped forward and handed out invitations to Stephanie, Tiffany, Chloe, and Giselle. The boys knew how extravagant and fun Riley and Emily's parties were, having had attended their previous birthday parties and occasional pool parties in the past few years, and they were a bit bummed that this next party was restricted to girls only. However, they were not completely upset at missing the makeover sessions and chick flick movies that the slumber party was most likely going to feature.

With one invitation left in her hands, Emily returned to her place in the human circle. She then turned to Michelle and handed her the final invitation with a friendly smile that was very uncharacteristic of her.

"Thank you, Emily," said Michelle kindly, expressing thanks for the invitation and for taking care of their second order of business for the afternoon. She turned to face the entire A-Troupe once more and said, "Now the third order of business is the winter showcase after party." She paused and then continued. "As you all know, there is always an after party after every showcase for the entire Next Step studio to celebrate our success and to mingle and have a good time."

Emily nodded and said, "Michelle and I are co-chairing the after party planning committee for the winter showcase to lift some of the duties off of Miss Kate's shoulders. We're asking dancers from every troupe in the studio if they would like to join and help us out with planning the after party. We'll have committee meetings every Sunday from now until the showcase. If any of you are interested, you can speak now and let us know and Michelle will jot down your names. If you would like time to think about it, you can let us know later on if you're interested."

The hands of Stephanie, Tiffany, Giselle, Riley, and Chloe shot up in the air immediately; they had helped to plan previous showcase after parties and were excited to plan another one. Eldon, Hunter, Daniel, and West also happily volunteered their assistance. James reluctantly put up his hand, knowing full well that if he did not, Riley would scold him for being the lazy one in the group and volunteer him herself.

"You guys are amazing!" Michelle praised as she noted the entire A-Troupe's commitment to the after party planning committee on her clipboard.

"We've been thinking about having our committee meetings as lunch meetings at Culture Shock," explained Emily as Michelle took her free time from speaking to write down everyone's names. "We'll shoot you all an e-mail with more details once we finalize them."

Everyone looked at Emily and nodded at her.

After writing down everyone's names, Michelle said, "Well, with all of those topics covered and out of the way, let's focus now on the opening number for the winter showcase. As you know, we're opening the showcase and it's important that we kick things off with a bang."

Emily nodded in agreement and added, "Michelle and I spoke with Kate and we set a rehearsal schedule that we hope you will find okay. We've set aside two hours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon for the opening number rehearsals. Three o'clock to five o'clock each day."

"Tuesday and Thursday afternoons will be for us all to rehearse our other routines for the showcase," Michelle continued. "The weekends will be our days off from dance, but you are more than welcome to book studio time during weekends to rehearse for your other routines if you so choose."

"This schedule will be put in place now and will be in effect until the night of the winter showcase," said Emily. "Does that schedule work for everyone?"

Most of the A-Troupe dancers glanced at each other and then nodded at Emily and Michelle. Eldon, however, was nervously shifting his eyes from one side to the other, but this did not concern anyone as the eye shifting was easily mistaken as curious glances from one dancer to another.

Emily, oblivious to Eldon's strange behaviour, smiled and said, "Great, well let us get started, shall we?"

Michelle nodded. "We shall." She turned to the rest of the A-Troupe and said, "Emily and I discussed it with Kate and we all agreed that performing a jazz number to the catchy song 'Play My Music' will really blow the audience away. It definitely suits us as dancers because we're all about the music."

Riley squealed. "Oh, I love that song!"

Giselle nodded excitedly as did the other dancers of the A-Troupe, which was a clear indication that they were more than familiar with the tune. "That's a brilliant idea!"

"We need a theme for the number," Chloe pointed out. "Any ideas?"

Giselle clapped his hands once and said, "Oh, how about a summer camp theme? You know, bring in a summer theme to a winter showcase to warm up the stage a bit?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed West with an enthusiastic clap of his hands as well. "Let's make it a music camp theme! We can all pretend to be teenagers at this camp with dreams of making it big someday."

James nodded excitedly and added. "Eldon, Hunter, and I can be a famous music trio who teach the campers how to rock!"

Michelle smiled and jotted down the idea on her clipboard. "That's very clever thinking, guys."

"It certainly is," agreed Emily. "However, something about that idea rings a bell in my head. I don't know what, but it does."

"That same bell is ringing in my head, too," Michelle said to her fellow co-captain with a puzzled look on her face.

"Yeah," said Emily. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that I have seen that kind of theme before."

Michelle looked deep in thought as she said, "Yeah, like, in a movie or something."

"Yeah," said Emily. "The only thing we're missing is a singing songwriter, an aspiring music producer, a clique of girls, and a snobby bitch."

"Language, Emily," scolded Riley.

Emily rolled her eyes while Eldon and James snickered.

Michelle shook her head and said, "You know what, let's not focus on the theme and costumes now."

Emily nodded. "Michelle's right. There's no point of having a theme and costumes if we don't have an actual opening number. Let's get started on the choreography first."

"You're all familiar with the song, so we'd love to hear your ideas for choreography," said Michelle to the entire A-Troupe. "I'll be gone momentarily to talk to the other troupes regarding the winter showcase after party planning committee, so run any ideas by Emily until I return. Remember that the floor is your canvas. Don't be afraid to show whatever comes to mind."

The ten A-Troupe dancers not holding a co-captaincy position just smiled at each other as Michelle separated from the group and exited Studio A. They had a good feeling that their opening number for the winter showcase was going to be one routine that was going to be etched into the minds of all the guests for a very long time.

* * *

There were quite a number of troupes in the Next Step studio that Michelle had to speak to about the winter showcase after party planning committee and given the fact that she had to recite the same speech she first gave to the A-Troupe, completing her task had taken longer than she expected. However, she managed to secure enough members for the committee and she was confident that they would be able to plan and host another amazing after party.

Upon her return to Studio A, she heard Emily's shouts coming from inside. They were not angry shouts or 'I can't believe you did something so stupid' shouts. In fact, it sounded like Emily counting out loud and it was obvious to Michelle as to why Emily was doing that.

Inside Studio A, the dancers of the A-Troupe were going over a series of what looked like choreographed steps. Stephanie, West, Tiffany, Hunter, and Chloe formed the back row of the routine. Riley, James, Giselle, and Daniel were positioned in the middle row in such a manner that each of them stood in between two of the dancers in the row behind them. Emily and Eldon were at the front of the group, with Emily clearly leading the troupe.

"One, two, three, and four!" yelled Emily as she danced while watching the entire troupe following her lead through the reflection of the mirror in front of them. "Five, six, seven-turn and eight…"

Michelle was both shocked and impressed at what was unfolding in front of her eyes. She was not sure how much the A-Troupe had choreographed while she was gone, but she was thoroughly impressed with the advanced choreography and by how the entire troupe danced in a tight and cohesive manner. Of course, she never doubted their abilities; they were not called A-Troupe for nothing.

"One two, turn, four!" Emily continued loudly so everyone in the studio could hear her. "Five, six, kick, eight…"

As Michelle watched the A-Troupe dance, she noticed the way the dancers were positioned. More importantly, she noticed Emily and Eldon in the front row, with Emily in between Giselle and Daniel and Eldon in between James and Giselle. Assuming that the vacant spot in the front row between Riley and James belonged to her, Michelle decided to jump right in and start learning the choreography as soon as possible.

Just as Michelle was about to place her clipboard on top of her duffel bag, a familiar ringtone rang out. She looked over at the duffel bag next to hers that the ringtone was coming from and then she immediately whipped her head around to look at Eldon who could easily hear his phone from his position in the studio.

Before Emily could kill him for not putting his phone on silent during rehearsals, Eldon quickly mouthed a message of assistance to Michelle.

Michelle just giggled and mouthed back that she would take care of it. She then quickly darted over to Eldon's duffel bag, knelt down to the floor, and pulled out his cell phone to answer it. "Hello, Eldon's line, Michelle speaking."

"_Hey, Michelle, it's Alex! We met yesterday at Culture Shock."_

Michelle smiled. "Yes of course I remember you! How are you?"

"_I'm great and you?"_

"I'm good, thanks for asking," said Michelle.

"_Anytime! So since you answered Eldon's phone, I assume he's busy at the moment."_

"Yeah, he can't come to the phone right now," explained Michelle as she watched Eldon deeply concentrated on his dancing. "Our troupe is opening the upcoming winter showcase and we're currently working on the opening number."

"_Congratulations. Listen, you know I'm a dancer, so I know how valuable time is when it comes to choreographing a dance routine. I won't take too much more of your time. I was just wondering if you can take a message and give it to Eldon later on."_

Michelle smiled again. "Of course, what is it?"

"_Can you please tell Eldon that Michael and are squeezing in an extra practise tonight to better prepare ourselves for Friday and to meet us once he's finished at the Next Step?"_

Michelle looked puzzled; she had no idea Michael and Alex were part of Eldon's so-called mystery project. All she knew up to that point was that it involved some sort of presentation and it had to be ready by Friday. "Um, alright." She then heard Alex chuckle on the other end of the line.

"_Don't worry Michelle. He'll know what I mean by that when you tell him."_

"Okay," said Michelle. "I'll be sure to tell him."

"_Thanks, Michelle. I'll let you get back to practise now. It was nice talking to you."_

Michelle told Alex that it was great to talk to him as well and to have a good day. Once they ended their phone call, she slipped Eldon's phone back into his duffel bag, and stood back up. She looked over at the A-Troupe, who had stopped dancing, and noticed that quite a few of them were looking a bit tired.

Emily clapped her hands once and said, "Not bad A-Troupe. Not bad at all."

"I think a well-deserved break is in order," Michelle spoke up with a smile. "Take five!"

Most of the A-Troupe sighed with relief. Stephanie, Tiffany, Chloe, and Giselle exited Studio A for a quick bathroom break. Riley joined James, Hunter, West, and Daniel in retrieving their refillable water bottles from their duffel bags. Emily started to pace back and forth in the middle of the studio, mumbling choreography ideas to herself.

Michelle glanced down at her clipboard where she had written down all of the contact information and names of the dancers who wished to join the winter showcase after party planning committee. After finding an available space on the filled sheet of paper, she wrote down a reminder to email them at her earliest convenience. Just as she finished, she felt strong arms wrap around her and her body press against another.

"Hey, you're back," said Eldon as he rested his head on her left shoulder.

Michelle turned around and kissed him. "I was only gone for half an hour."

"I know, but thank goodness Emily isn't the only dance captain of A-Troupe," said Eldon as he slowly pulled back and turned Michelle around to face him. "Otherwise, I would have absolutely no reason to dance here at the Next Step."

Michelle smiled sweetly. "Well, Eldon, thank you. You certainly have a way with words."

"I aim to please," said Eldon smoothly.

"Speaking of words," said Michelle. "I have a few words that I promised to pass along to you."

"Oh, right, the phone call," said Eldon. "Who was it? Was it my mom because I already told her a thousand times this morning that I'd pick up a carton of milk on the way home from dance practise?"

Michelle laughed and said, "No, it wasn't your mom, it was Alex."

Eldon immediately paled. "Um, Alex?"

"Alex Bazarsky, your friend I met last night at Culture Shock," Michelle reminded him. "He just called to tell you that he and Michael have scheduled another practise tonight in order to prepare for Friday and that they expect you to meet up with them after you're done here."

Eldon gulped and said, "Did they say what for?"

Michelle shook her head. "No, but they said you would know what they mean by extra practise." She paused and hesitantly asked him, "You do, don't you?"

Eldon nodded quickly. "Yeah, of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

Michelle paused again and then asked, "Does this have anything to do with that project you had been working on last Friday?"

"The project," said Eldon. "Oh, yeah, the project! Yeah, we need to have, um, the presentation done by this Friday. Extra practise is a good idea, very good idea."

Michelle gave Eldon a puzzled look. "Eldon, are you alright? You seem tense."

"Tense?" asked Eldon with a light chuckle. "You have no idea, Michelle. With school, dance practise here at the Next Step, and that project with Alex and Michael, I'm surprised that I have time to breathe."

Michelle smiled sympathetically at Eldon and pulled him into a warm embrace. "Oh, Eldon, I know it seems like a lot, but you have the work ethic required to take on all of your tasks. I have faith in you. You've got this."

Eldon hugged her back and she felt him smile into her hair. "Thanks for the pep talk, Michelle. I really needed that."

Michelle pulled back and smiled at Eldon. "You're welcome." She paused and then added, "Remember, if you ever need a hand or just someone to vent to, I'm here."

Eldon smiled and planted a kiss gently on her forehead. "I know, thank you."

Michelle nodded and allowed Eldon to pull her into another warm hug. As she hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder, she could not help but be concerned about Eldon and how stressed out he was. Although he associated his stress with his busy schedule lately, Michelle had a strong suspicion that it was really about something else and was wondering what he was really hiding from her and for what reason.

* * *

Chapter 4 Up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

~TeenQueen661


	5. Dance Sets Me (and My Secret) Free

The Ultimate Test

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! On with Chapter 5!

Chapter 5: Dance Sets Me (and My Secret) Free

* * *

To the dancers at the Next Step studio, the week had flown by. The dancers, specifically the ones from the A-Troupe, were so occupied with preparing their own routines and working on the opening number for the winter showcase that they looked flabbergasted when Kate cheerfully wished them a Happy Friday as they passed her office on their way to Studio A that Friday afternoon.

Once in Studio A, the eleven members of the A-Troupe whom were present quickly put away their backpacks and spread out across the floor to warm up with some stretches. Although some of the dancers had quite an exhausting day at school, they knew that they could not waste a single moment of their precious rehearsal time, regardless of the fact that the winter showcase was only a few months away.

Emily was leaning over to touch her toes with one hand while she was reading a small notepad full of choreography ideas in another hand. Riley was face down on the floor, along with her chest, while James was helping her with her oversplit. Stephanie, Tiffany, and Chloe were warming up with jumping jacks while Hunter, Daniel, and West warmed up with a series of push-ups.

Michelle and Giselle were stretching their arms by bending them, one at a time, back over the arm's respective shoulder and holding them in place for moments at a time. Their conversation was about the winter showcase opening number.

"I can't wait to continue where we left off," said Giselle. "I actually have some ideas that I want you and Emily to take a look at if possible."

Michelle smiled at the redheaded acrobatic dancer. "Of course, Emily and I value everyone's input for the opening number. Tell you what, once we're all done stretching, we'll have you take the floor first and show us the ideas you have in mind."

Giselle smiled gratefully. "Thanks so much Michelle, I really appreciate it."

"It's not a problem," said Michelle. "Besides, Eldon told me yesterday that he has some ideas for the opening number as well." She paused, took one look around the studio, and said, "Speaking of Eldon, where is he?"

Giselle also looked around the studio and shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea."

"It's not like him to be late," said Michelle with a look of worry on his face.

"Maybe something came up," said Giselle. "Maybe he's stuck in rush hour traffic."

"He could be," said Michelle slowly. "Maybe I should call him and see what's holding him up?"

"Oh, no need," said Giselle reassuringly. She nodded towards the window looking into Kate's office. "He just walked into Miss Kate's office."

Michelle looked towards the window and saw Eldon talking to Kate. He was dressed in a dress shirt and a pair of slacks instead of the shorts and T-shirt that he normally wore for practise. His current attire confused Michelle and she hoped Eldon was not going to rehearse in that. He was a dancer and he knew better than to wear such restricting clothes during rehearsals.

Giselle and Michelle watched as Kate nodded at Eldon with a smile. Eldon answered with what look like a quick thank you and then hurried out of her office and into Studio A where the rest of the A-Troupe dancers looked up in time to see him join them.

Michelle was about to walk over to Eldon and inquire about his tardiness and choice of practise attire, but Emily had beat her to it.

"Hey, Emily," said Eldon cautiously when he noticed the death glare that his ex-girlfriend was giving him.

"Eldon, you're late," scolded Emily with her hands on her hips.

"I know, I'm sorry," said Eldon apologetically.

Emily shook her head and said, "Whatever. Let's not waste more time. Go and change and get back in here to warm up."

Eldon closed his eyes and said, "I'm sorry I can't. In fact, I can't stay. I just came here to let you know that – "

"Let us know what?" asked Michelle as she approached Emily and Eldon by the doorway. Although she believed that Emily was being a little harsh in scolding Eldon for coming to rehearsals late, she knew his tardiness was still unacceptable. "What do you mean you can't stay?"

"I have somewhere else to be right now," explained Eldon. "I only came here to let you, Emily, and Miss Kate know that I would be missing today's rehearsals. Miss Kate already told me it would alright and - "

"Absolutely not!" Emily interrupted, staring at Eldon in disbelief as though he just asked her to stop breathing. "This is the winter showcase we're talking about Eldon! We need all the rehearsal time we can get!"

Michelle rested a hand on Emily's shoulder and softly said, "Relax Emily." She turned to Eldon and said, "Eldon, we understand if you have something else to do that takes priority over the winter showcase rehearsals. If it's okay with Miss Kate, then it's okay with Emily and me."

Eldon sighed in relief. "Thanks for understanding Michelle."

Michelle nodded. "So just tell us what that something is and you're free to go."

Eldon instantly paled. "Tell you?"

"What you have to do," said Michelle. "Just tell us what you have to do in place of rehearsals and Emily and I will let you go. It's as simple as that."

Eldon sighed and said, "I can't."

Michelle raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I can't tell you what I have to do," said Eldon.

Michelle remained confused. "Why not? You told Miss Kate why you have to miss rehearsals today, so why not tell us?"

Eldon shook his head and said. "I just can't."

Michelle folded her arms in front of her. "So you expect Emily and I to let you miss rehearsals for a reason that we have to remain in the dark about, a reason that only Miss Kate has the right to know about?"

Eldon shifted his eyes to the floor, unsure of how to respond.

Michelle stepped forward, took Eldon's arm, and gently pulled him over to the side away from Emily and the rest of the A-Troupe dancers. "Eldon, I understand if you don't want Emily to know the reason for you missing rehearsals today because she tends to think that nothing is more important than dance. But I'm not Emily, I'm Michelle, your girlfriend, and I want to remind you that you can trust me." She paused to take a deep breath and asked, "Now, please, tell me what you have to do instead of rehearsing for the winter showcase?"

Eldon sighed, took one of Michelle's hands in his, and squeezed it gently. "I do trust you Michelle, I really do. Now, I beg of you, please trust me when I say that I can't tell you what I have to do, but that it's very important to me."

"And dance isn't?" asked Michelle quietly. She could feel her voice cracking and warm tears starting to brim in her eyes. She did not mean to sound like Emily, who thought the world revolved around dance, but she could not help herself. She felt hurt that Eldon did not seem to want to trust her with whatever he was hiding.

"Believe me," said Eldon desperately, "dance means more to me than you can imagine."

Michelle bit her bottom lip as Eldon kissed her hand and then, without another glance at Emily or the rest of the A-Troupe dancers, hurried out of the studio, past Kate's office, and down the hallway from which he came from.

Emily scoffed and said, "I can't believe Eldon just blew off rehearsals like that! What could be more important than this?"

Michelle blinked her eyes repeatedly to get rid of the tears in her eyes and, with her back still facing the rest of the A-Troupe dancers, said, "I wish I knew. I wish he could tell me. I wish he could tell us. I wish I knew why he has been so secretive lately. It's stressing him out and I'm really worried about him."

"Wait, so this isn't new to you?" Giselle asked Michelle with an air of surprise.

Michelle shook her head and turned around to face the other A-Troupe dancers. "Eldon has been acting strange for the past few days. He's been so discreet about where he has to disappear off to and the reasons why. Every time I try to talk to him about it, he either changes the subject or gives very little detail in his explanations."

"Well, I think that might explain something," said Emily who noticed a pamphlet on the floor. She walked over and bent down to pick it up. "Eldon must have dropped this when he bolted out of here."

Michelle reached out to take the pamphlet from Emily and unfolded it. She quickly skimmed the contents of the pamphlet, mentally noting the information printed on it and the elegant photos of people in bright, sparkly costumes.

"What's that Michelle?" asked James curiously.

Michelle folded the pamphlet and said, "It's a brochure about the Ontario Dancesport Classic."

"The what?" asked West.

"The Ontario Dancesport Classic," repeated Michelle. "According to this brochure, it's an annual ballroom dance competition held here in Toronto."

All of the A-Troupe dancers just look at each other, their eyes shifting from one dancer to the next. Each one of them had puzzled looks on their faces and many seemed to be deep in thought. Giselle was the only exception; she had simply pulled out her cell phone from the pocket of her sweatpants and looked to be searching for something on it.

Michelle just stared at the pamphlet in her hands, looking just as confused as some of her fellow A-Troupe dancers. She noticed the dates of the competition printed on the back of the pamphlet. Not only did she realize that the competition spanned several consecutive days, but that the first day was the day they were currently living. She silently wondered why Eldon felt that attending the competition was more important than their rehearsals for the winter showcase. As far as she knew, Eldon was a contemporary dancer. He had never shown any interest in ballroom.

"Wait, I'm confused," said James after what seemed like an hour of silence. "Why would Eldon not tell us that he's going to watch a ballroom dancing competition?"

"Because he's not going to watch it," explained Giselle as she looked up from her phone. "He's going to compete in it."

Michelle looked shocked as did the other A-Troupe dancers. "You're kidding!"

Giselle shook her head and showed Michelle her phone. "Check it out, Eldon's on the heat list for this year's Ontario Dancesport Classic."

"Heat list?" repeated Michelle as she took a look at the website that Giselle had found online regarding the competition. "You mean, he's actually competing in this competition?"

As Giselle nodded in response to Michelle's question, Kate walked into the studio with a concerned look on her face. Through the glass wall between her office and Studio A, she had a good view of the A-Troupe warming up for their rehearsals. When she looked up from the magazine that she was reading and noticed that they had stopped and started staring at each other with open mouths and furrowed eyebrows, she got worried.

Emily was the first to address the studio owner. "Is something the matter Miss Kate?"

Kate paused and then said, "I just came in to see if everything is alright. One minute you all were warming up and the next minute you all looked like a school of confused goldfish."

"Sorry Miss Kate," said Michelle apologetically. "Eldon just came in to tell Emily and I that he would have to miss rehearsals." She showed Kate the pamphlet in her hands. "He didn't tell us why, but he accidentally dropped this on the way out and, well, we just learned that he's a ballroom dancer and will be competing at something called the Ontario Dancesport Classic."

Kate nodded and said, "I know, that's what Eldon came to talk to me about just a few minutes ago. He asked if he could be excused from rehearsals to go and compete in that ballroom dancing competition."

Emily just stared at Kate in disbelief. "And you let him go Miss Kate?"

Kate nodded again as though the answer was obvious. "Of course I did! I said that I was more than okay with it. I just asked him to tell you and Michelle not to mind his absence today during rehearsals."

Michelle blinked and said, "Okay, I may not know much about ballroom dancing, but I do know that you don't compete by yourself." She looked to Giselle and asked, "Who is his partner?"

Giselle looked at her phone again and answered, "It says here that he's competing in the Amateur Youth Championship Standard and Latin divisions with some girl named Kenna DeLong."

Kate smiled. "Ah, Kenna DeLong, the Belle of the Ballroom."

Giselle raised an eyebrow at Kate. "You know her?"

"Who doesn't?" asked Kate.

As a response, all eleven A-Troupe dancers present raised their hands simultaneously.

Kate looked surprised, but she said, "Kenna DeLong is the one of the best amateur youth ballroom dancers in the entire country."

"Are you serious?" asked Chloe with an air of surprise.

Kate nodded. "Yeah, word on the dance floor is that she's a force to be reckoned with at competitions. At the rate that she and Eldon are dominating competitions, she'll be able to become a professional really early in life. They both can actually."

James looked stunned at the realization that his best guy friend was a ballroom dancer. "I can't believe it."

"Well, believe it," said Kate as she held out the magazine that she was reading earlier to show the A-Troupe. "In fact, Eldon and Kenna are on this month's cover of Dance Mania."

The eleven astonished A-Troupe dancers could not help but stare at the magazine in Kate's hand. The words "Dance Mania" were printed across the top in bold, monotype corsiva font, but it was Eldon and Kenna on the cover that really caught everyone's attention. Eldon was decked out in an open black Latin shirt, fitted black pants, and matching Latin shoes. Kenna, a petite brunette, looked stunning in a fitted red Latin dress with sparkly fringes and skin-coloured Latin dance shoes.

Michelle could not help but feel uncomfortable as she looked at the way Eldon and Kenna were posing on the cover: Eldon's body was facing the camera, but his eyes were on Kenna, who he pressed against the side of his body with his right hand. Kenna's face was awfully close to Eldon's, but her eyes were giving the camera a seductive look. Her body was turned to face his, with her right manicured hand placed possessively on his chest. His left hand rested gently over the one on his chest.

James wolf whistled and said, "That's Kenna? Wow, she's hot."

There was a whack, followed by a yelp of pain.

James winced and, noticing Riley's icy death glare directed towards him, added quickly, "But she's nothing compared to you, Riley."

Riley narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend while Hunter and West snickered at James getting whipped by the magazine that his girlfriend took from Kate's hand.

Kate nodded in regards to James's flattering, yet inappropriate comment. "Yes, Kenna is very beautiful, on and off the floor."

Michelle rolled her eyes at Kate's praise for Kenna's beauty, but when she looked at the magazine cover again, she realized that the studio owner was right; Kenna _was _gorgeous. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun at the back of her head, a hairstyle that showcased the amazing bone structure in her face. She had large chocolate-brown eyes, complete with long eyelashes, and cherry-red lips that curved into a smile.

Emily, who rolled her eyes at James's comment towards Kenna, asked, "Miss Kate, how long have you known that Eldon was a ballroom dancer?"

"For about a year," said Kate. "You see, my aunt is a ballroom dance instructor and she is often invited to judge competitions. During a visit, she told me about these two amazing dancers, Eldon and Kenna, and how she had a good feeling that they would win a world title one day at an international ballroom competition if they continued to work hard. When I asked if that Eldon was the same Eldon that danced at my studio, she said yes. I ended up going to a few competitions myself this past year to see him and Kenna dance and, well, I'm proud to say that my aunt had every reason to praise them."

Michelle looked at the magazine cover again and frowned. Although she was a bit upset that Eldon had tried so hard to keep his ballroom dancing career a secret from her, she was even more upset at the fact that his partner was not only incredibly talented, but stunningly beautiful. She gritted her teeth at the thought of him and Kenna dancing together. She did not like the idea of her boyfriend dancing with a very pretty dancer. In fact, she hated it.

Noticing the astonished looks on most of the faces of the A-Troupe dancers, Kate said, "Wait, you guys didn't know that Eldon was a ballroom dancer?"

Michelle shook her head, her eyes shifting from the magazine to Kate, and quietly said, "He never mentioned it."

* * *

Chapter 5 Up! Questions? Comments? Should I continue?

Please Review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! =D

~TeenQueen661


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